This invention relates to a driver control interface for a vehicle.
Technology available in current vehicles has been rapidly increasing. As a result, the amount of information supplied to the driver and amount of input required from the driver has also been increasing.
Current vehicles typically include radios with cassette or compact disc players, advanced climate control systems with air conditioning and purification abilities, on-board navigational systems which operate in conjunction with global positioning satellites, collision avoidance systems, automobile self-diagnostic systems, cellular phones, pagers, rearview camera systems, radar detectors, anti-theft systems and remote controls.
Each additional system raises several concerns. First, all of the input and output interfaces for each of these systems must be located within the vehicle in an aesthetically acceptable manner. Second, the time and distance that the driver""s attention is diverted from the road must be minimized, as should the time and distance that a driver""s hands are diverted from the steering wheel while operating each of these systems. Further, as the complexity of systems in vehicles increases, the interface must be more user friendly so that all drivers can benefit from these systems.
The present invention provides a xe2x80x9chands-onxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ceyes-frontxe2x80x9d driver control interface system which minimizes the time and distance that the driver""s attention is diverted from the road and the time and distance that the driver""s hands are diverted from the steering wheel while operating various systems in the vehicle. The vehicle includes a plurality of feature groups, such as audio, climate, etc., each having a plurality of associated features such as volume, balance, tuning, temperature, fan speed, etc. Each of these features has an associated value which is adjustable by the driver. Other features have a value which is only communicated to the driver for information purposes, such as engine temperature, tachometer, fuel level, speed, etc.
A high-resolution, reconfigurable display is located on the instrument panel directly in front of the steering wheel in an xe2x80x9ceyes-frontxe2x80x9d position, i.e., the driver""s focus need only be diverted slightly downward from the road.
The driver control interface system includes a plurality of feature group switches located on the vehicle steering wheel such that they are within reach of the driver""s fingertips on one hand while the driver""s hand is located comfortably in a normal position on the steering wheel (xe2x80x9chands-onxe2x80x9d). Each of the feature group switches selectively activates one of the feature groups. The display indicates the currently-activated feature group and indicates the current value of features in the activated feature group.
A plurality of selection switches are also located just inside the periphery of the steering wheel adjacent a normal position of the driver""s opposite hand (xe2x80x9chands-onxe2x80x9d). The selection switches activate features within the activated feature group and adjust the values of the activated feature. Preferably, an enlarged graphic representing the activated feature appears upon activation of the feature. The driver control interface system includes control circuitry for implementing the adjusted value of the activated feature in the vehicle and for retrieving the information for the features in the activated feature group.
The driver control interface system can be customized and personalized. The driver selects a subset of the features in the vehicle to control from the steering wheel by assigning feature groups to the feature group switches. Further, the driver can change the colors, backgrounds, and information displayed for the feature groups. The driver control interface system continuously provides help to the driver for operating the various features.
A large number of features are operated by the driver of the vehicle without repositioning the driver""s hands on the steering wheel. Further, the driver""s attention is not diverted significantly from the road while adjusting the values of the features or receiving information from the display.